Roy Hodgson Crystal Palace 2018-19Getty Images

The oldest & youngest Premier League managers

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson became the oldest boss in the history of the Premier League on Saturday, when he led his side to a 4-1 win against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

The former England chief was 71 years and 198 days old when the fixture takes place and will therefore become the most venerable manager in the competition’s history.


Who is the oldest manager in Premier League history?


NameAgeDateTeamVersus
Roy Hodgson71 years 198 days23/02/2019Crystal PalaceLeicester
Bobby Robson71 years 192 days28/08/2004NewcastleAston Villa
Sir Alex Ferguson71 years 139 days19/05/2013Manchester UnitedWBA
Neil Warnock70 years 83 days22/02/2019CardiffWatford
Guus Hiddink69 years 189 days15/05/2016ChelseaLeicester
Arsene Wenger68 years 203 days13/05/2018ArsenalHuddersfield
Dick Advocaat68 years 6 days03/10/2015SunderlandWest Ham
Harry Redknapp67 years, 335 days31/01/2015QPRStoke
Claudio Ranieri67 years 125 days22/02/2019FulhamWest Ham
Manuel Pellegrini65 years 146 days09/02/2019West HamManchester United

Until Hodgson takes charge on Saturday, the mark will remain that of former Newcastle manager, the late Bobby Robson, who was 71 years and 192 days old when he supervised Newcastle’s 4-2 loss at Aston Villa, a defeat that ultimately cost him his post.

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Hodgson is set to break that record by six days and with Palace in the midst of a decent run of form, may well go on to significantly surpass that benchmark.

Completing the podium for the top three oldest managers is legendary Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, who was 71 years and 139 days old before he stepped down at Old Trafford in a blaze of glory by claiming the Premier League title in the 2012-13 season – the last time the club were English champions.

Long-time Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who left the Emirates only last summer, occupies sixth place in this particular list.

Meanwhile, there are three current managers, Hodgson aside, who are working their way up this ranking.

Cardiff boss Neil Warnock is the foremost of these and is one of only four men aged over 70 to have managed a Premier League club.

Further down the standings are Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri and West Ham supremo Manuel Pellegrini, who at 65 years and 146 days is someway short of anyone else on the list.


Who is the youngest manager in Premier League history?


NameAgeDateTeamVersus
Attilio Lombardo32 years 67 days14/03/1998Crystal PalaceAston Villa
Chris Coleman32 years 313 days19/05/2003FulhamNewcastle
Gianluca Vialli33 years 227 days08/03/1998ChelseaAston Villa
Andre Villas-Boas33 years 301 days14/08/2011ChelseaStoke
Ruud Gullit33 years 352 days18/08/1996ChelseaSouthampton
Kevin MacDonald34 years 1 day23/11/1994LeicesterArsenal
Alex Neil34 years 60 days08/08/2015NorwichCrystal Palace
Stuart Pearce34 years 241 days21/12/1996Nottingham ForestArsenal
Paul Jewell34 years 313 days07/08/1999BradfordMiddlesbrough
Garry Monk34 years 339 days08/02/2014SwanseaCardiff

Crystal Palace also boast the youngest manager in Premier League history, having appointed Attilio Lombardo as a player-boss for the closing weeks for the 1997-98 season.

The Italian attacker, who played in a European Cup final with Sampdoria, did not prove to be particularly successful, however. In the eight matches he oversaw, he managed to record only a couple of wins and lost the other six fixtures, culminating in a 3-0 home loss against Manchester United.

By that stage, Palace had long been relegated.

Similarly, Chris Coleman and Gianluca Vialli, who are the second and third youngest managers respectively, were both initially interim appointments, though both proved more successful than Lombardo.

Indeed, Andre Villas-Boas is the youngest man on this list who was a full-time appointment straight off the bat. He joined Chelsea from Porto in the summer of 2011 but failed to complete a full season in charge, sacked after a 1-0 loss to WBA in March.

Jan Siewert, who was recently appointed as Huddersfield manager, is the youngest boss in the Premier League currently, aged 36, though he is only the 22nd youngest all-time.

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